Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

On August 5, 1963, the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom signed the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in Moscow, prohibiting nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, underwater, and in outer space. The treaty was a direct consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis — both Kennedy and Khrushchev emerged from those thirteen days chastened, determined to reduce the risk of accidental nuclear war. The hotline between Washington and Moscow (the 'red phone,' actually a teletype machine) was established in June 1963 for the same reason. The Test Ban Treaty was the first arms control agreement of the Cold War, and while its practical scope was limited — underground tests were still permitted, and France and China refused to sign — its symbolic importance was immense. It marked the beginning of what would become a sustained effort at nuclear arms limitation culminating in the SALT and START treaties. The treaty also reflected growing public pressure in both the US and Europe over the health effects of radioactive fallout from atmospheric testing, which had been contaminating the food chain with strontium-90 and other isotopes. Kennedy signed the treaty's ratification in October 1963, six weeks before his assassination.

• Year: 1963 CE
• Category: Diplomatic

Related

• The Cold War
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• SALT I and the Era of Détente
• INF Treaty: Eliminating an Entire Class of Nuclear Weapons
• John F. Kennedy
• Nikita Khrushchev